It is the deadliest earthquake to hit Turkey since 1939, when 33,000 people lost their lives, while it is deadlier than the 1999 earthquake in Izmir with 17,000 dead.
Mourning without end in Turkey and Syria. According to AFAD, the Turkish disaster agency, the dead have arrived in Turkey the 19,875, while the victims in Syria have reached almost 4,000 (3,466). The victims in Turkey and Syria now exceed 23,000. (23,341)
It is the deadliest earthquake to hit Turkey since 1939, when 33,000 people lost their lives, while it is deadlier than the 1999 earthquake in Izmir with 17,000 dead. At the same time, as the hours pass, the hopes of finding survivors in the ruins fade.
Above of 141,000 rescuers, among them personnel from foreign countries are currently working in the areas affected by the earthquake, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier. Erdogan said more than 77,700 people have been injured in last Monday’s deadly earthquakes.
The help “doesn’t arrive as fast as expected”, the Turkish president acknowledged earlier for the first time,
“The disaster affected so many buildings (…) that unfortunately, we were not able to provide emergency assistance as quickly as we had hoped,” admitted the head of the Turkish state during his visit to the city of Antiyaman (south), which has been seriously affected by the disaster.
Animals are also victims of the disaster:
From the earthquake zones 🙏🥹#Deprem#Earthquake pic.twitter.com/V0g9dIK5PW
— Revolutionaries (@statelessidea) February 10, 2023
Erdogan had already on Wednesday acknowledged “gaps” in the authorities’ response to the earthquake, saying it was “impossible to be prepared for such a disaster”.
The embattled Turkish president, who has been in power for 20 years and wants to stay on after elections scheduled for May 14, has been heavily criticized by survivors for the slowness of aid arriving in the affected areas.
In Antiyaman province, one of the worst affected by the earthquakes, Mehmet Yildirim told AFP yesterday “I didn’t see anyone before 14:00 on the second day after the earthquake”, i.e. 34 hours after the first tremor. “Neither the state nor the police nor soldiers. Same on you! You left us to our fate.”
Many people complain of shortages in available means, especially supplies. AFP noted on Thursday the deployment of more hoists and rescuers – especially foreigners – in the city.
“Maybe during this period there have been shortages, technical problems, but we are on the side of our people with all our means,” Erdogan insisted.
At least nine children were rescued on Friday, according to videos released by disaster agencies, as reported by Reuters, giving joy and hope to tired rescue crews who have been working non-stop since last Monday under difficult weather conditions.
A miracle after 110 hours. 20-year-old Muhammed is out of the rubble, alive. #TurkeyEarthquake #deprem #earthquakeinturkey #earthquake #TurkeyQuake #türkiye
— Nesrin Akyüz Aydin • 🇹🇷 • (@nisrineaydin) February 10, 2023
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